


Sweet Cheeks

by bisexuallaurel



Series: Jimon Week [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-25 00:07:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9793724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexuallaurel/pseuds/bisexuallaurel
Summary: Simon might have a tiny crush on Jace. Just a tiny one. But most of all he just really enjoys his company. He loves coming down to the bakery after a long day and sinking onto a bar stool and pouring out his problems to Jace’s patient ears.Some days, when Jace laughs particularly loudly at one of his jokes or when his eyes drift to Simon’s lips as he speaks, Simon almost thinks the attraction is mutual.Bakery owner!Jace, college student!Simon.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 4 of Jimon Week with the prompt "food".

Simon is practically skipping as he makes his way down the street. From the university he attends, down to the river, past the mall and across the street.

There it is.

A small smile tugs at his lips as he enters the little bakery. A bell chimes above him as the door swings shut behind him.

A man enters the bakery from a back room behind the cash register. His golden hair is tied up in a little bun and he’s wearing a cream apron over a frayed t-shirt. His face lights up as he spots Simon.

“If it isn’t my best customer,” he says, grinning from ear to ear.

“Well I thought I’d stop by and make sure you’re not going out of business without me,” Simon says as he takes a seat by the bar.

The shop is set up with a long counter with one half dedicated to the cash register and the other half constituting a bar of sorts with a handful of bar stools.

Simon leans his elbows against the bar and puts his chin in his hands. He looks up at the man with a pout.

The man laughs. “Rough day at school?”

“You have no idea,” Simon says. “We’re doing this group project, right, and I’m paired with these two guys who refuse to pull their weight. They just expect me to do all the work. And so I told them they could fuck off and––”

The man stops in the middle of cleaning out the espresso machine and raises his eyebrows at Simon. “Really? You said that?”

Simon shoots him a glare, both for interrupting him and for taking his words so literally. “I obviously didn’t say that.” He picks at his nails. “I just did their work too and left early. And then I came here.”

“Well, that does sound more like you.”

“Hey, don’t be rude,” Simon says, pouting again.

The man grins. “So what can I do to cheer you up? Your usual?”

“Believe it or not, I’m not even in the mood for cake today.”

“Not even red velvet?”

“Not even red velvet.”

The man’s eyebrows shoot up again. “Wow, you’re really serious. Well.” He takes a step back from the counter and crouches down. He soon emerges with a little sign that says _Closed_. He walks around the counter and hangs it on the door.

“I’ll throw something together for you,” he says and gestures for Simon to follow him.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Jace,” Simon waves him off. “Don’t you have like, several more hours of your shift?”

Jace shrugs. “The upside of owning your own business is you can take as many breaks as you’d like.” He grins, and opens the door behind the counter which leads to the kitchen, waiting for Simon to go through.

Simon is still not quite sure about it, but he follows Jace to the kitchen regardless.

“What are you in the mood for?” Jace asks, turning on the oven and walking over to the fridge.

Simon hops up onto the counter right next to the fridge. He ponders the question for a moment. “I don’t know, to be honest.” A teasing grin on his lips, he adds, “Surprise me.”

Jace matches his grin. “Alright. But be warned. It might be the best thing you’ve ever had in your mouth.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he says coyly.

Jace chuckles and lightly punches him on the arm as he walks past him to rummage through one of the cupboards.

Simon smiles to himself.

They’ve been doing this for quite some time now. More than a month, at the very least. It started when Simon just happened upon this quaint little bakery called Sweet Cheeks one day after school. He’d had a bad day and he just wanted to drown his sorrows in some cupcakes. He’d entered the bakery on that faithful day in a whirlwind of emotions, and then he’d met Jace.

Sweet, funny, unfairly handsome Jace, who always smiled bright as the sun when Simon came in, and who always gave him an extra cup of coffee on the house. It became a habit of sorts, where Simon would pop down to the bakery more or less every day, either for breakfast, lunch or just for a chat with the cute owner.

Simon might have a tiny crush on Jace. Just a tiny one. But most of all he just really enjoys his company. He loves coming down to the bakery after a long day and sinking onto a bar stool and pouring out his problems to Jace’s patient ears.

Some days, when Jace laughs particularly loudly at one of his jokes or when his eyes drift to Simon’s lips as he speaks, Simon almost thinks the attraction is mutual.

But Jace has never said anything or indicated that he’s interested, so Simon tries to convince himself to just let it go and focus on their friendship.

Jace is one of those people that are so rare and once you have them in your life, you just don’t let go of them no matter what. They’ve only known each other for a little over a month but Simon already knows deep in his soul that Jace is something very special, and nothing is worth losing him over.

As Jace moves around the kitchen, picking up supplies and whipping up ingredients in various bowls, Simon lets his eyes wander.

The t-shirt Jace is wearing is quite tight. The seams are frayed and there’s a loose thread hanging off one of the sleeves. He instinctively want to pick it off, but he doesn’t. Instead he watches how Jace’s arms flex as he reaches into the top part of a cabinet, and the way his shirt rides up on his stomach and reveals the smooth skin underneath.

Jace turns around and says something, but Simon is too busy staring to hear him. The only reason he’s aware that Jace spoke at all is because he starts waving to get his attention.

He blinks quickly. “S-sorry, what was that?”

Jace doesn’t seem offended that he wasn’t being listened to. Instead he grins and says “Nothing.”.

Simon can’t help but notice that he hasn’t fixed his shirt. There’s still an expanse of skin right where his jeans leave off that is entirely exposed. Simon’s mouth is suddenly very dry.

He coughs, and it’s wholly unconvincing.

“So, what’re you making?” he asks to force his mind out of the gutter.

Jace looks at him over his shoulder and moves slightly to the right so Simon can’t see his hands working. “None of your business.”

“Oh come on, don’t leave me hanging.”

“You’ll see when it’s done,” Jace says.

Simon pouts, even though he knows Jace can’t see him. Slowly swinging his legs back and forth, he waits not-so-patiently for Jace to finish whatever he’s doing.

“Okay,” he says finally. “Close your eyes.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

With a grunt to clearly establish how unfair and unnecessary this is, Simon gives in and closes his eyes.

He can hear Jace pattering around the kitchen; the dull sound of metal hitting the countertop, the fridge opening and closing, and finally the oven door being slammed shut.

“Can I look now?” he asks, and tries to put as much annoyance into his voice as he can. It’s not much.

Instead of a verbal affirmation, there’s a hand on his knee. He jumps slightly and instinctively opens his eyes.

Jace is standing right in front of him. He smiles softly, and Simon hesitantly returns it.

“So?” he asks, if nothing else to distract himself from _the hand on his knee_. “Where’s this surprise of yours?”

“Oh, it’ll be a while,” Jace says. He draws back his hand and Simon wishes he hadn’t. It felt… nice.

“Alright,” Simon says. “I can wait. I’m nothing if not patient. That’s what I always say. Okay, I’ve probably never said that before. Actually, my mom used to say––”

“You’re really cute when you talk a lot.”

Simon’s voice dies out and he’s left staring blankly at Jace.

Jace shakes his head and clasps his hands behind his back, straightening up slightly. “Sorry, sorry. Go on.”

“Uh, no. No, you– sorry, what did you say?” Simon struggles to get the words out.

He’s still sitting on top of the counter, his legs dangling off the edge. His whole body thrums as Jace takes a tiny step towards him.

“I just said you’re really cute when you get all excited about stuff,” Jace says, as if it’s not the biggest and most important revelation ever.

“Right,” Simon croaks. He makes a face. “So. That’s… a weird thing to say.”

“Is it?” Jace asks innocently.

Another tiny step.

“Yeah. I think. It seems like a thing people would say is weird.”

“Hmm.”

“Jace,” Simon says, glancing down at Jace’s feet as they move slightly closer. “You know, guys don’t usually tell other guys that they’re cute. At least not heterosexual guys.”

“I never said I was one, though,” Jace says. He tilts his head slightly.

Simon considers this. It’s true, however unlikely it seems. “Well. Okay,” he admits. “You’re right about that. But still, it’s... “ He sucks in a breath as Jace’s knee hits the cabinet below him with a soft _thud_. He whispers, “You’re awfully close.”

“Is that okay?” Jace’s voice is softer than he’s ever heard it before. It’s incredible how he can go from the guy who throws around jokes and smiles a lot to the guy who looks like sex personified.

“Y-yeah,” Simon mumbles, his eyes moving from Jace’s eyes to his lips to his hands settling on either side of Simon’s thighs. “It’s, it’s fine. More than fine, actually. Yeah. It’s great.”

He watches a slow smile spread over Jace’s features. He’s not looking Simon in the eye anymore; his eyes are fixed on Simon’s mouth.

He self-consciously licks his lips, which seems to spur Jace into action, but not as quickly as Simon would’ve liked.

He moves almost painfully slow as the back of his hand brushes against Simon’s cheek, and then settles against the crook of his neck. His thumb grazes the sharpest part of Simon’s jawline, his eyes following the movement, while Simon’s eyes never leave his.

“You know,” Simon says, his voice low and raspy. “If you’re waiting for consent or something, this is it.”

Jace snaps out of staring at Simon’s mouth, and grins slowly. “Yeah?”

Simon nods eagerly.

He sees a flash of teeth and then Jace is kissing him.

Jace crashes into him like the ocean crashes against the cliffs. The second their lips touch, the taut string of sexual tension between them snaps and coils.

His lips are soft against Simon’s, but there’s nothing soft about the kiss itself. It’s hard and desperate from the start. Simon’s arms loop around the other’s shoulders, arching his back and pulling Jace in closer with a sigh that is immediately swallowed by the next kiss.

Jace coaxes Simon’s legs open and slips in between them. Simon moans into his mouth and pulls at him to get him closer still; mouths sliding together, teeth clashing and tongues mapping out patterns on the other’s lips.

“I’ve wanted this since the day we met,” Jace confesses into a kiss.

Simon closes his eyes and sighs, desire thrumming through his body and pulsating through his veins. “Me too.”

“That’s so fucking dumb,” Jace says, in between kisses. “Why did we wait this long?”

“I blame you,” Simon says and tries to turn his head to deepen the kiss, but Jace pulls away before he can.

“Oh do you now?” he says, narrowing his eyes, but Simon can tell he isn’t actually upset. It’s a cute game, but he’s not really looking for cute right now. He tells Jace as much.

“As far as I’m concerned, we wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for my ballsy decision to make a move,” Jace says. “So you’re not really allowed to argue.”

Simon huffs. “Well, I can think of a lot of better uses for your balls right now than making decisions.”

Jace throws his head back and laughs. “Touché.”

Simon can’t help but grin, too. “You’re ridiculous. And really cute. But you really should shut up and kiss me.”

Jace gives him a look that seems to say ‘well, who am I to argue with that?’, and so he does as he’s told.

The fire in Simon’s belly is immediately rekindled when Jace’s mouth is on his again. Jace runs his tongue along his bottom lip, coaxing Simon to let him in.

It doesn’t take much for his blood to start boiling again.

With no warning Jace hooks his fingers under Simon’s knees and yanks him closer. A muffled moan escapes Simon’s throat as he clings to the other’s shoulders to keep himself steady. His legs wrap around Jace’s waist and digs his heel into his lower back. As he does so, Jace instinctively comes closer, and ends up brushing up against Simon’s erection.

Jace grins into the kiss. “Someone’s excited.”

Simon would feel awkward about it if it weren’t for the fact that he was very well aware that Jace was in a similar condition.

He doesn’t dignify the statement with an answer. Instead he exacts his vengeance by sliding his hand up Jace’s back, tracing along his neck, and then twisting a handful of hair around his fingers and pulling. The elastic holding his hair in place slips off and falls to the floor, but neither of them notices.

Free of its bond, Jace’s golden hair spills down in little tidal waves. Simon pulls away slightly to admire the disheveled look of his makeout partner. A soft cherry pink hue stains his lips, as well as the apples of his cheeks when he smiles. His long fringe keeps falling in his eyes every other second and Simon has to take mercy on him and tuck it away. His eyes are unashamedly fixated on Simon’s lips and he honest to God licks his lips as he stares without abandon.

Never having been much for patience, Simon captures his lips again, slipping his tongue past Jace’s lips immediately upon contact. It’s all slick and hot and breathless, with Jace pressing further and further into his space and almost laying him flat on the counter.

He probably would have if there’d been enough space, but as it is Simon almost bangs his head against the wall several times and Jace has to pull him back up. Simon doesn’t complain, though, because every time it happens, there’s a moment of panic in which he grabs onto whatever’s closest, which 4 out of 5 times happens to be Jace’s biceps. And he _loves_ Jace’s biceps.

They’re probably the best part about him. Apart from his eyes. And his smile. His laugh, his humour, his baking, his big heart.

He sighs against Jace’s lips; half exasperation at his own foolishness, and half because the hand not gripping his calf has slid down to the low part of his lower back. Jace’s fingertips trace along the brim of his jeans. Simon bucks his hips with a slight whine escaping his throat. He presses kisses to anywhere he can reach; Jace’s mouth, his arms, his jaw.

He’s just sucked a hickey into the crook of Jace’s neck when he shifts slightly and slides both his hands down Simon’s jeans, dragging him closer by the ass.

Simon drops his head back and moans. Lips parted and eyes closed, he begins to surrender himself to Jace’s touch.

“This okay?” Jace close to growls in his ear, and all Simon can do is nod erratically and bury his hands deeper in Jace’s soft locks.

It’s like they’ve passed the point of no return. Simon can feel pressure building within him, raging and reeling in the pit of his stomach, threatening to spill over any second.

Jace is right there with him. He’s pressing wet, hot kisses to Simon’s mouth while kneading his ass, pulling him closer and back, then closer and back, like a tidal wave.

A whimper tears from Simon’s throat, his hips bucking against Jace’s. The friction is so good between them, Jace’s hands on his ass are so good, the damp moans in his ear are so good. He claws at Jace’s shoulder, desperate and eager, and Jace squeezes back.

He’s on the edge of the beautiful abyss, dancing along the edge, when a terrible screeching noise shatters the silence.

Simon jumps and bangs his head against the cupboard above him, and Jace almost trips over his own feet as he scrambles to locate the horrific noise while also shimmying his hands out of Simon’s pants.

“What the fuck?” Simon gasps, his mind still spinning from the intense intimacy.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Jace pants. He untangles himself and grabs his phone from the counter on the other side of the kitchen. “Fucking alarm.” He shoots Simon an apologetic look and crouches down in front of the oven, peering in.

He grabs a pair of oven mitts and opens the oven door. If Simon wasn’t so busy focusing on his, at this point, painful erection, he would think it was very adorable that Jace’s oven mitts were shaped like cupcakes.

Jace pulls his mystery project out of the oven and flips it closed with his foot as he stands up. The ease with which he does it shows how comfortable he is like this; how practiced and at home he feels baking.

Simon lets him do his thing for a few minutes. Jace is working on the countertop opposite him, so he can’t see what he’s doing.

Simon’s still perched on his countertop. At this point he’s given up hope on getting off, and instead he’s trying to focus his attention on getting his boner to chill out with pure will power.

He likes to think he’s doing an alright job, but that illusion is immediately shattered as Jace dusts his hands off and comes back to him.

“Sorry about that.” He smiles apologetically. “Gotta take them out right away or they’ll burn.”

“It’s fine,” Simon says, even though he can’t help but feel very disappointed that the moment’s been ruined.

Jace weaves his way between Simon’s legs again, and slides his arms around his waist. His hands rest loosely against the small of his back, but they never go further down than that.

He looks up at Simon, and smiles again. Simon smiles back.

When they were fooling around, he could focus on just how good Jace felt pressed against him and how much he liked the way his muscles flexed under his touch. Now, as Jace is looking into his eyes with a soft almost-smile on his lips, he can’t help but feel like sexual attraction isn’t all that is happening here.

Letting himself get lost in the moment, he loops his arms around Jace’s neck and rests his forehead against Jace’s.

“That was fun,” Jace says quietly after a moment or two. Simon realizes his eyes have slid shut. When he blinks them open, he notices the little smile playing on Jace’s lips.

He returns it. “Yeah.” He brushes a stray strand of hair off Jace’s forehead. “We should do it again sometime.”

“How about now?”

He’s using _that_ _voice_ again. The low, husky one that makes Simon’s knees turn into jelly. “Yeah. Yeah, totally. Like…” He hesitates. “Like, now-now?”

“If you want,” Jace says. Once again he puts the decision in Simon’s hands. As if Simon could ever say no to that offer.

“Well,” he says, pretending to consider it. He can tell that Jace sees right through him, but he’s a good enough sport to play along. “Can you afford to keep the bakery closed?”

“Well, you’re my best customer,” Jace grins. “I gotta make sure you’re satisfied so you’ll keep coming back, right?”

Simon huffs out a laugh. “Are you saying you dry hump all your favorite customers?”

“I only have one.”

Simon’s smile softens. He pushes lightly at Jace’s arm. “You’re so embarrassing.”

Jace hums, and winks at him. Simon barely suppresses a giggle.

Jace glances between Simon’s lips and his eyes before he says, “My apartment is upstairs. If you wanna––”

“Yes,” Simon says immediately. His cheeks flush with a soft pink.

_Way to play it cool, Lewis._

But Jace doesn’t seem to think he’s being too pushy. He just grins and pulls him into a kiss.

Jace is about to pull back, supposedly to take him upstairs, when Simon tugs him back in.

“Wait a second,” he says, pretending to be stern. “I thought the whole point of this was for you to bake me something.”

“Oh, right!” Jace says. He grins. “Close your eyes.”

Simon rolls his eyes, but by this point he knows better than to argue. He closes his eyes and waits for the all clear. He can hear Jace moving around the kitchen like before, but he can’t deduce what he’s doing.

Soon there’s a hand on his knee, squeezing softly. He takes it as his cue and opens his eyes.

In front of him is Jace, still wearing his cute apron, and holding a tray of cupcakes.

Simon’s eyes light up. “Cupcakes! That’s awesome!”

He picks up one of them and admires it. The cream colored frosting looks fluffy and light, and so, _so_ inviting. It rests on a basic sponge. It’s a simple but cute cupcake.

Jace looks quite nervous, which seems very out of place. Simon has had his cupcakes plenty of times and each one has always topped the last one. He can’t imagine anything Jace could have to worry about.

Simon carefully peels off the cupcake wrapper and takes a bite. His eyes roll back in his head and he moans. “Fuck. Amazing as always.”

Jace grins, but there’s still a tension in his shoulders. Simon wants to ask what’s wrong, but he doesn’t want to push too far. Instead he focuses on the cupcake and hopes that Jace will bring up whatever is bothering him in his own time.

As he looks down at the cream cupcake, a pop of color catches his eye. He turns it over in his hand.

A small gasps catches in his throat.

Inside the otherwise plain cupcake, there is a hidden heart. It’s a little lopsided, but it’s unmistakably a heart. It’s split into three colors: pink, yellow and blue.

Simon looks up at Jace, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

Jace smiles nervously. He nods to the cupcake still in Simon’s hand. “I was originally going to use that to flirt with you.” When Simon looks confused, he continues, “It’s the pansexual colors, right? You told me you were pan a few weeks ago. I didn’t know what it meant back then which seemed to make you really sad so I did some research so we could talk about it, but I didn’t know how to tell you. Anyway.” He points to the cupcakes. “Half of them have the pan colors and the other half have the bi colors. It’s how I was gonna come out to you.” He’s quiet for a moment. “I’m not good at talking about my feelings. I only know how to bake. So this seemed like the obvious choice. It seems really stupid now…”

Simon’s eyes widen. “No, oh no! Please, it’s not stupid. It’s so sweet!”

Jace blinks. “Oh. Oh, okay. Good.”

“I can’t believe you put that much thought into it. That’s super sweet of you, honestly. No one’s ever done something like that for me before. It must have taken so much effort.”

Jace steps a little closer and traces Simon’s jawline down to his chin and up to his cupid’s bow with his fingertips. He glances at Simon’s eyes. “Well, you deserve all the effort in the world.” He chuckles. “That’s really gross, I’m sorry. We’ve barely known each other a month, right? I’m probably coming on too strong.”

Simon smiles carefully. “Well... I really like you. Like... I like you a _lot_.”

Jace smiles, and it’s a very sincere smile now. “I like you a lot too.”

Simon bites his lip. He’s still holding the cupcake in one hand, and his other is resting on Jace’s waist. He taps his fingers against the fabric of his t-shirt a few times. “So…”

A slow grin spreads over Jace’s face. “So.”

“Is it super awful of me to want you to ask me upstairs again after you just did that super sweet thing for me?”

“Yeah, Simon, it’s awful,” Jace says with a sarcastic eyeroll. He taps him on the nose. “Of course not. Do you want to bring the cupcakes?”

Simon lights up as if he hadn’t considered that. He grabs the plate and cradles it in his arms. He doesn’t make any attempt to jump off the counter. Instead he flutters his eyelashes at Jace, who gets the hint immediately.

He tries to act annoyed but Simon can tell he’s actually quite pleased.

He holds out his arms and Simon squeals a little with glee. He spreads his legs so Jace can slip in between them and then he wraps himself around Jace’s waist. His arms slide around his neck, while Jace hoists him up and locks his hands under his thighs.

Simon makes a noise somewhere between a giggle and snort as he tries to hold onto Jace and the cupcakes at the same time as he’s being carried out of the kitchen, up the stairs and into Jace’s apartment.

Jace just smiles and places a tender kiss to Simon’s cheek.


End file.
